The Secret Garden

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The Secret Garden

By Frances Hodgson Burnett

Chapter 1

The characters

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

The film

Chapter 3

The Setting

The author

Chapter 6

English Gardens

Chapter 2

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Chapter 7

Index

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THE VICTORIAN ERA

Her life

The author

Her books

Dickon

Ben Weatherstaff

Mr. Craven

Mrs. Medlock

Martha

Colin

Mary

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The CHARACTERS

Kew Botanical Gardens

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English gardens

The Chelsea Flower Show

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The Setting

Chapter Four: Colin

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After dinner that evening Mrs Medlock calls Mary. "Your uncle is going away tomorrow and he wants to see you," she says. Mary is a little afraid. "Mr Craven isn't going to like me," she thinks.

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She looks at her uncle carefully. He is not really a hunchback but his back isn't straight. He isn't ugly but his face is very sad. "Are you happy here, Mary?" he asks. "Do you want anything?" "Can I have a little garden?" asks Mary quietly. "I would like to grow some flowers." "A little garden?" he asks, surprised. "Yes, of course, and make it beautiful!" Mary goes to her rooms and thinks, "He's not a bad man. He's very sad, but nice. Poor uncle, he always thinks about his wife".

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That night something strange happens. Mary hears someone crying. "It's not the wind," she thinks. "Someone is crying!" She takes a candle and walks around the house. She stops in front of a door and opens it. She sees a young boy in a big bed. He is ten years old and has got a thin white face. He has got grey eyes and dark hair. "Who are you?" asks the boy. "Are you a ghost?" "No," says Mary, "my name is Mary Lennox. Who are you?" "I'm Colin," says the boy. "I'm Mr Craven's son."

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"Mr Craven's son!" says Mary, surprised. "Then I'm your cousin. I live here now." "I'm always ill and I must stay in bed," says the boy sadly. "I think I'm going to die soon. My father doesn't want to see me. When he sees me he thinks about my mother... he hates me." "I'm sure he doesn't hate you but he certainly hates her garden." "What garden?" asks Colin. "Your mother's garden," says Mary. "It's closed now and no one can go inside."

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"The servants must open the door," says Colin. "I want to see it." "Oh, no!" says Mary. "Let's keep it a secret. One day we can open the door and go inside together, and it can be our secret!" "Alright," says Colin, "the garden can be our secret. This is my first secret and I'm happy about it." "You must come outside in the sun and the fresh air," says Mary. "You're going to like it. Perhaps I can find a boy to push your wheelchair". Mary and Colin talk for a long time.

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Chapter Three: The Secret Garden

Mary sees Ben Weatherstaff in one of the gardens. "What a beautiful day!" he says. "Spring is coming, and the plants and flowers are growing". "Oh," says Mary, "there's the robin!" The robin sees her and flies to her feet. Then something wonderful happens. Mary looks at the robin and sees an old key in the grass. She doesn't tell Ben. She takes the old key and puts it in her pocket. "Perhaps is the key to the secret garden!" she thinks. "Now I must find the door."

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The next day she goes to the gardens again and sees the robin near the wall. "Can you show me the door to the secret garden?" she asks the robin. Suddenly the wind moves the plants to one side and she sees a small door on the wall. She takes the key from her pocket and opens it. She is inside the garden!

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"Oh!" she thinks. "What a strange garden! The plants and flowers are dead. But some grass is growing, so the garden isn't really dead. I can look after it!" During lunch Mary and Martha talk about flowers and plants. But Mary doesn't tell Martha about the secret garden. "Martha," says Mary. "I need a spade and some seeds, because I want to make a little garden. Then I can watch things grow." "That's a good idea!" says Martha. "Gardens are fun. I can ask Dickon to bring you a spade and some seeds." "Wonderful!" says Mary. "Then I can meet Dickon."

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Mary works in the garden every day. She wants to have a beautiful garden. One day she sees a boy sitting under a tree. He is about twelve and has got a round face and blue eyes. "Hello, I'm Dickon," he says smiling, "and I know you're Mary." "Hello Dickon!" says Mary. "Pleased to meet you." "Here are some flower seeds and a spade," says Dickon. "Show me your garden and we can plant the seeds together." Mary likes Dickon and says, "Can you keep a secret?"

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"What secret?" asks Dickon. "First, you must promise not to tell anyone," says Mary. "Do you promise?" "Of course," says Dickon. "I keep secrets all the time." "Listen," says Mary, "I've got a secret garden! No one wants it and no one looks after it. But I love it. Come with me." Mary takes Dickon to the secret garden. Mary opens the garden door, and she and Dickon go inside. Dickon is very surprised when he sees it.

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"This is a strange place," he says, "but it's very pretty. It's... almost magic!" "Are the plants and the flowers dead?" asks Mary. "I don't know," says Dickon, "Let me look." He walks around the garden and look at the plants and flowers carefully. "A few are dead, but most of them are just sleeping. They're going to grow in the spring," says Dickon. "Oh, good!" says Mary happily.

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Activities

They work together and clean the garden. Dickon shows Mary how to use the spade and plant the seeds. He tells her a lot of things about gardens. "Dickon," says Mary, "you're very friendly and I like you. Do you like me?" "Yes, I do," says Dickon, "you're nice". "Come again tomorrow!" says Mary. "We can have fun in the garden." "I can come every day and we can make this a beautiful garden," says Dickon.

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Chapter Two: The robin

Mary goes to the gardens and walks around them. It is a cold winter day and she is wearing a long coat and a hat. "Why is Mrs Craven's garden shut?" she thinks. "What's inside? It's a secret garden and I want to see it. But where is it? I must find the door". She walks around the gardens. Each garden has got a wall around it and a door. Suddenly Mary sees a robin. He is sitting on a tree on the other side of the wall. He starts singing and Mary suddenly feels happy. She smiles at him. "Perhaps he lives in the secret garden and knows what it is like", she thinks happily.

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Mary walks into another garden and sees an old man. He is the gardener, Ben Weatherstaff, and he is working there. He is not very friendly. "Hello!" says Mary. "I'm looking for the door to a garden." "Which garden?" Ben asks angrily. "The garden on the other side of this wall", says Mary. "There's a robin in one of the trees, but I can't find the door." Ben is silent and doesn't look at Mary. Then he suddenly whistles. The robin hears the whistle and flies down to Ben's feet. The little bird looks at him. "What a pretty robin!" says Mary.

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"Robins are very friendly birds," says Ben. "He's my only friend". "I haven't got any friends," says Mary sadly. "You and I are the same," says Ben. "We look unfriendly -and we are!" "Oh, dear," thinks Mary, "am I unfriendly like Ben?" Suddenly, the robin begins to sing. "Why is he singing?" asks Mary. "He wants to be your friend," says Ben. "He likes you". "Do you really want to be my friend?" Mary asks the robin.

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"You're like Dickon," says Ben. "He talks to animals". Suddenly the robin flies over the wall. "Look," says Mary, "the robin is on the other side of the wall. I want to see that garden. But where's the door?" "There's no door to that garden," says Ben, angrily. "No one must go there! Now go away because I must work".

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Every morning for breakfast Mary has milk, bread, butter and fruit jam. After breakfast she goes to play in the gardens. One day she sees the robin again. "Oh!" says Mary happily. "It's my friend, the robin! I like him." Suddenly the robin flies to a tree on the other side of the wall. "That tree is in the secret garden," Mary thinks. "How can I go inside?" She spends the day on the moor. She walks around and sees a lot of birds and some small animals. The moor is a beautiful place.

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That evening she has a big dinner. After dinner she and Martha hear the strong wind on the moor. "Listen, Martha," says Mary. "Can you hear someone crying?" "No, I can't," says Martha. "Now, aren't you going to bed?" "But," says Mary, "I can hear something". "It's only the wind on the moor," says Martha. "But I can hear a child crying," says Mary, "can't you?" "No one is crying," says Martha. She gets up and leaves Mary's room.

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Activities

The next day is sunny and the sky is blue. Martha brings Mary her breakfast and says, "Spring is coming and Yorkshire is very beautiful in the spring". "Martha, I want to meet Dickon," says Mary. "I'm always alone here." "Good!" says Martha. "You're going to like him."

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Chapter One: Misselthwaite Manor

Mary Lennox is an English girl. She is nine years old and lives in India with her mother and father. She has got blonde hair and a thin white face. She is often ill. Her father is always busy with his work. Her mother is a beautiful woman, and she is always busy with parties and friends. No one has got time for Mary. A lot of indian servants look after Mary. She is not a nice child, because she only thinks about herself. She is unkind to her servants. No one loves Mary and Mary loves no one.

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Suddenly two Englishmen come into her room. She looks at them angrily. "Look," says Barney, "there's a child here". "A child in this house!" says the other man. "What's your name?" "I'm Mary Lennox. Why am I alone this morning?"

One hot morning she wakes up and hears a lot of people talking in her house. Then everything is silent. "What's happening?" thinks Mary. "Why isn't my servant here? Who's going to dress me?" She waits a long time, but no one comes.

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"Poor little girl!" says Barney. "A lot of people in this house are very ill. And some are dead". "Are my mother and father dead?" asks Mary. "I'm very sorry, Mary," says Barney, "they are". Now Mary is all alone. She hasn't got any family in India. She must go to England and live with her uncle, Mr Craven. He lives at Misselthwaite Manor in Yorkshire in the north of England. "Why am I always alone?" thinks Mary. "Other children have got a family and they're happy. Why can't I have a family? Why doesn't anyone love me?"

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Mrs Medlock meets Mary in London. She is one of Mary's uncle's servants. She is a big woman with a red face and little black eyes. Mary doesn't like her and Mrs Medlock doesn't like Mary. During the trip on the train Mary is sad and silent. She looks out of the window at the English countryside. "Do you know your uncle, Archibald Craven?" asks Mrs Medlock. "No, I don't." says Mary. "Well," says Mrs Medlock, "he is a strange man. He's a hunchback and he's very unhappy because his wife is dead. He can't look after you because he's always away."

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Mary doesn't say a word. "You're going to live in an old house with one hundred rooms", says Mrs Medlock. "It's near the moor and there are gardens and trees around it". When they get to Misselthwaite Manor it is dark. A servant opens a big door and Mrs Medlock takes Mary to her rooms. "Mary," says Mrs Medlock, "these are your two rooms. You must stay here. Don't go to other parts of the house. Remember that!" Mary feels sad because she is alone.

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The next morning Mary wakes up and a pretty servant comes into her room. Her name is Martha and she is young and friendly. Mary looks out of the window and asks, "What's that?" "That's the moor," says Martha. "Do you like it?" "No," says Mary. "I don't like it because it's ugly". "The moor is beautiful in the spring and the summer when the flowers and plants grow," says Martha. Mary likes Martha.

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Activities

"There are twelve children in my family," says Martha, "and we're poor. My brothers and sisters play on the moor. My brother Dickon is always there. He loves animals, he talks to them". Mary likes animals too and she is interested in Dickon. After breakfast Martha says, "Go outside and play in the gardens. There are lots of gardens but one of them is closed -it's poor Mrs Craven's garden". "Why is it closed?" asks Mary. "Because Mr Craven is very sad about that garden," Martha replies.

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The Chelsea Flower Show

Gardens are very important in Great Britain, and most British people have got a garden behind their house. A lot of British people grow plants, flowers and vegetables in their gardens. Some also like visiting the gardens of big important houses.

In the summer, there are flower and vegetable shows, with prizes for the best flowers and the biggest vegetables. In May, you can visit the Chelsea Flower Show in London. It is a wonderful three-day show with thousands of flowers, plants and vegetables. At lunch, you can sit down at a table and eat strawberries and cream.

Kew Botanical Gardens

Do you like looking at beautiful gardens? Most castles and palaces in Great Britain have got lovely gardens. In London you can also visit the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew. Here you can see trees from different parts of the world. The Van Kampen Gardens at Hampton Court Palace, Herefordshire, are very big and beautiful. You can visit them between April and October.

Frances Hodgson Burnett was born in Manchester, England, in 1849. Her family moved to the United States when she was 16. Frances loved writing stories as a child. She wrote her first story when she was 19 years old. It was published in a magazine. Frances became a famous writer, and many people loved her books. Her most famous book is The Secret Garden. It is about a girl, a garden, and a big house. Frances loved gardens, and they gave her many ideas for her stories.

The Victorian era (1837-1901) is named after Queen Victoria. It was the time of the Industrial Revolution, where big changes happened for factories, machines, and trains. Many children had hard lives. Some worked in factories for long hours. Many were poor or had no parents. Stories talked about these problems, but also inspired children with its magical adventures. Books like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll helped children escape to other worlds thanks to their imagination. Before the printing press, books were made by hand and were very expensive. The new machines from the 19th century could print lots of books at once, so they became cheaper, and more children could read.

In the Victorian era, many writers wrote books for children. These stories often taught lessons about kindness, hope, and courage. They also inspired children to dream and imagine new worlds. Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote famous books like The Secret Garden and A Little Princess. Her stories show how love, nature, and friendship can make people happier and stronger. Other writers for children were Louisa May Alcott, who wrote Little Women, and Anna Sewell, the author of Black Beauty. Their books talk about the power of imagination, as well as the importance of being good and brave.